Recently, I was on a cleaning spree. The main focus was my bedroom. It was cluttered with too many things, and it badly needed some rearrangement. But what forced me to do this cleaning was that my mattress was worn out and the frequent sneezing in the morning. I was told that the air inside my bedroom could be toxic to me, and it’s the reason for my health issues. Well, I was all game for this and decided to take it on.
The key to detoxifying the bedroom is to go natural. What I really needed to do was to practically strip my room and replace any toxic or harmful items with natural or non-toxic ones. No matter what the item was, I tried my best to have it as long as it was within the budget. Here are the things that I got or replaced.
- De-clutter the room: The first step, obviously, was to de-clutter my closet. I sorted all the clothes and removed the giveaways to make more space inside. Once you have sorted them, wipe every nook and corner of the closet with a vinegar solution and leave it to dry naturally. Next, remove all the other items out of the room and keep them away in boxes. Removing the carpet from the floor is also called for. Carpets can give out more toxins than any other item in the room. So, follow the rule: no carpet in the bedroom. Have the floor bare, spread wooden panels, or use a washable cotton rug for your comfort.
- Mattress: A natural fiber mattress would be preferable while detoxifying the bedroom. The other materials used for mattress-making can emit various kinds of chemicals. Natural materials do not do that and are safe to sleep on, even for people who are allergic or have asthma. While purchasing natural fiber or materials, make sure that it is 100% natural; otherwise, only a meager percentage of natural materials would be used in it, and you won’t get the full benefit.
- Cotton sheets and bedding: Strip the bed. Put all the linen and bedding items in the washer with vinegar to remove the germs. Remember to run it on a hot cycle. If possible, wash the pillows as well. If the pillows are too old, replace them along with the mattress with the ones made with natural fibers and materials. Natural materials do not emit toxins into the air and are also safe for the skin.
Cotton or pure silk would be the best bet. Use silk for pillows as it is good for the skin, and the other items could be 100% cotton that is untreated. Before you replace the sheets, thoroughly vacuum the mattress and use some baking soda to deodorize it. Once the mattress is ready, dress it up, and you are done there. - Solid wooden bed: Another aspect that many people neglect is the make of the bed frame. Only a solid wooden bed can have fewer or no chemical treatments. The off-gassing would be much less in these wooden beds. It is also preferable to have an old bed frame to avoid the off-gassing. The old ones would be almost done with this and are quite safer than a new one. It is also advisable to use natural sealants like beeswax to reduce the toxicity even further.
- Air the room: Open up the windows to let in fresh air from outside. This will also clear out much of the pollutants as well.
- Natural air cleaners: Clean the entire room with natural air cleaners such as vinegar, baking soda, lemon extracts, etc. Dry baking soda can remove extra moisture from the air if needed. Have a Himalayan salt lamp to clean the air further or have some beeswax candles lit. Remember to clean every item that is being brought back to the room with vinegar. Use apple cider vinegar as it’s natural.
- No electronic devices in the bedroom: Follow this rule if you really can. Students might not help but have them in the bedroom. If you have a room to spare, get all those electronics out of the bedroom for your own safety. No television in bedrooms, please. It would not only cause toxicity in the air but would also disrupt sleep with its electromagnetic waves. If you are detoxifying the bedroom and have a television set there, you MUST remove it to achieve success in your efforts. The same goes for the computer, laptop, tablets, iPads, iPods, and even the smartphone. Remove as many items as possible from the bedroom.
- Cosmetics: Cosmetics contain too many chemicals. If you love to do make-up, you are going to have a tough time detoxifying the bedroom. You will have to get rid of almost all your cosmetics and replace them with natural products. The bio-cosmetics are preferable to the chemical ones. There are so many natural alternatives for beauty-related problems that you no longer will have to rely on those chemical products. If you don’t remove those chemical products, you are not detoxifying your bedroom, period.
- Footwear out: Yes, no footwear inside the bedroom, please. Your footwear would have so many germs and other pollutants from outside that you are unaware of. It may be fanciful and idealistic to have the shoe rack right inside the closet to match them with the clothes easily. But in the long term, it can only add to the air pollution, rather than being fun. If you can’t help them out, have a separate closed rack for them right near your door so that you don’t pollute the interior too much. Also, remember to clean the footwear regularly. Use baking soda to deodorize the shoes and wash the socks every single day.
- Houseplants: House plants could be a wonderful solution to have any more chemicals left out in the air. This is one of the most effective natural solutions for air pollution. Choose the plants that are more suitable for the bedroom. There are plants that suit every room of the house, so choose wisely.
Cleaning or detoxifying the bedroom alone is not enough to have the indoor air completely cleaned. You will have to repeat the same for each and every room of the house. For a more thorough detoxification, you will have to identify and get rid of all the sources of air pollution from the home and replace them with safer or natural items.
Another trouble is with the wall paint. It is not easy to have the wall paint scraped and a new coat put on. It is highly recommended if you can afford it. The wall paint contains so many toxins that could even cause cancer. There are alternatives in paint, such as the natural eco-friendly paint that contains no toxins. The low-VOC paint would not be a great relief, as it would still have toxins in it but only in low quantities.
An effective air purifier can make a huge difference, and so can the natural air cleaners such as Himalayan sea salt lamps. They can do a wider coverage than air purifiers and will be completely safe from any pollution. There are air purifiers that can cause harm to the air unintentionally. These natural air cleaners are a safer bet than air purifiers, but if you want faster results, air purifiers would be your answer.